Blind Sight (COTK Book 1)

Chapter 11: The Academy

"Are there any questions?"

Hirofumi tapped the ruler against his palm as he surveyed the class. After waiting for a moment, he nodded and set the ruler down on the lip of the chalkboard. Walking over to the podium, which he'd moved off to the side during the lesson, he quickly reviewed his notes.

He'd wanted to make sure to open up his class this time with the most fundamental basics that every loyal Shinobi should know. It seemed like he'd succeeded. Neatly stacking his papers, he looked back up at the class.

"Everyone, if you will follow me? I'm going to show you to your next class."

Stepping off the raised platform, Hirofumi slid open the door and stepped out into the hall. Looking over his shoulder to make sure he was being followed, he made his way down the hallway.

After a few minutes of walking, he stopped in front of another door and slid it open before stepping to the side. He silently counted the students as they walked by. It was unlikely any had gotten lost, but one could never be too careful.

"You all need to remember how to get here," he said as the Genin hopefuls crowded around, trying to fit through the door all at once. "You will be coming here after my class on your own until told otherwise."

Scanning across the small sea of faces, Hirofumi noticed that the strange boy who had arrived early at his class was standing at the back. Another boy was standing next to them. If he recalled correctly, they were Hogari.

He'd gotten a lot of exciting students this year. Naruto from Kazedama, son of a rich lord, come to train to become a shinobi, a rare occurrence. Hogari, a promising student from the Sengwari Clan in Chikadō City to the southeast. Another exceedingly rare event as the Sengwari Clan and its Shinobi were rarely seen outside of Kazaana Province.

Hirofumi decided as the two boys walked by him into the classroom that he would definitely keep an eye on them. Their future looked very interesting.

—

Naruto had been curious to see if Hogari would decide to sit next to him again, and was pleasantly surprised when Hogari did so. Since introducing themselves, they'd get to say anything to each other. He wondered if he should try to start a conversation, but nothing came to mind.

Hearing a chair being pushed across the floor, Naruto directed his Byakugan toward the front of the class. He'd seen his new teacher through the wall as he waited for the doorway to clear. The man was clearly a Shinobi, possibly retired based on his age. Unlike Hirofumi, they had a thick beard and extremely tanned skin.

His new teacher walked around their desk and stopped at the center of the raised platform. Naruto watched curiously as they stared at everyone, focusing on each student individually before moving to the next.

"My name is Ishida. I'm your Basic Taijutsu Sensei, and you will be attending my class for the next year. While we will spend time in this classroom, it won't be much. Most of this class will be outside, which is where we're going now, so get moving."

Naruto stood up and waited for Hogari to move onto the steps before following after him. He could overhear several of his classmates complaining, but he didn't recognize their voices. They're so loud, Ishida-sensei can hear them much easier than I can. Naruto thought.

After they all made it out into the hallway, Ishida closed the door and moved to the front. They followed him out of the Academy and into the training yard in the back. There were numerous other classes outside as well. Naruto could see a class practicing Kunai throwing, another practicing wall climbing, and an older class sparring.